Jeff Jackson. Jeff Jackson Takes Over the Reins of The Notre Dame Hockey Program. Jackson At A Glance UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME.

Transcription

1 The Coaching Jeff Jackson was named the fourth head coach in the modern era of Notre Dame hockey on May 6, He returns to the college coaching ranks with the best winning percentage among active coaches (.751). Staff

2 Head Coach A new era for the Notre Dame hockey program began on May 6, 2005 when Jeff Jackson was named the fourth coach of the Irish since the program s Division I inception in The veteran head coach returns to the collegiate ranks this season for the first time since leaving Lake Superior State following the campaign. In his six years with the Lakers, Jackson s teams won two NCAA titles in 1992 and 1994 (also advancing to the finals in 1993, losing to Maine in the championship game), two CCHA regular-season championships ( 91 and 96) and four CCHA playoff trophies ( 91, Jeff Jackson Head Coach 1st Season at Notre Dame Michigan State 78 Jeff Jackson Takes Over the Reins of The Notre Dame Hockey Program Jackson At A Glance Full Name Jeffery L. Jackson Birthdate June 22, 1955 Hometown Roseville, Michigan Education Bachelor s Degree in Communications Michigan State 78 Bachelor s Degree in Education Michigan State 79 Collegiate Coaching Experience Assistant Coach, Lake Superior State ( ) Head Coach, Lake Superior State ( ) Record: (.751); two NCAA titles, two CCHA regular-season titles, four CCHA tournament championships Head Coach, University of Notre Dame (2005-) International Coaching Experience National Coach and Senior Director, U.S. National Developmental Program ( ) Head Coach, U.S. Junior National Team ( ) Won silver medal at World Junior Championships Assistant Coach, U.S. Olympic Team (1998) Junior Hockey Experience Head Coach, Guelph Storm ( ) Record: (4) Professional Experience Assistant Coach, New York Islanders ( ) Coaching Honors CCHA Coach of the Year ( ) 92, 93 and 95). His team also advanced to the NCAA championship game, losing a 5-4 decision to Maine. In taking over the Irish coaching duties, Jackson becomes the first Notre Dame head coach to have won an NCAA Division I championship with another program before being hired as an Irish head coach. In making the announcement of Jackson s hiring, Notre Dame director of athletics, Kevin White said, Jeff Jackson has a first-hand appreciation of exactly what it takes to be successful at the very highest level of the collegiate hockey world. His accomplishments at Lake Superior State in winning multiple NCAA titles combined with his work and connections from the United States national developmental program and from the professional level provide him a solid foundation from which to lead the Notre Dame hockey program. White added, We re excited he s coming to Notre Dame, and I think it s fair to say he s excited about the opportunities ahead of him with our program. The highly regarded Jackson brings over 20 years of coaching experience to the Irish as an assistant and a head coach at the NCAA Division I level, on the international level with the U.S. national program, in major junior hockey and at the National Hockey League level. A 1978 graduate of Michigan State University with a degree in communications, Jackson followed with a degree in education in Jackson got his start in college hockey as an assistant coach at Lake Superior State in 1986 where he served four years under Frank Anzalone, helping guide the Lakers to one CCHA championship and the 1988 NCAA title. When Anzalone moved to the professional ranks following the season, Jackson took over as the head coach of the Lakers and in a six-year span ( ), guided them to six consecutive NCAA appearances, including three straight trips to the title game from 1992 through In six seasons ( ) behind the bench at Lake Superior State, Jeff Jackson s teams were for a.751 winning percentage. The Lakers won two CCHA regular-season titles, four CCHA tournament crowns and two NCAA championships during his tenure. 62 UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME

3 Head Jeff Jackson became the national coach and senior director of USA Hockey s National Team Developmental Program in June of While with the National program, Jackson coached eight former Irish players who played for the Under-18 team in Ann Arbor, Mich. In his first season behind the Lakers bench, Jackson s squad was overall and in league play, winning the CCHA regular-season and tournament titles. They lost in the NCAA quarterfinals to Clarkson, two games to one. A year later, Lake Superior State ran off its second 30+ win season under Jackson, going on the year, while finishing second in Jeff Jackson Coaching File the league with a mark. The Lakers proceeded to knock off Alaska Anchorage and Minnesota in the regionals before beating Michigan State (4-2) in the semifinals and Wisconsin (5-3) in Albany, N.Y., in the first of three consecutive trips to the NCAA finals. The season saw the Lakers roll off a record and finish third in the CCHA with a record. They captured the Overall CCHA Year School W L T Pct. W L T Pct Lake Superior State Assistant Coach Lake Superior State Assistant Coach Lake Superior State Assistant Coach Lake Superior State Assistant Coach Head Coaching Record Lake Superior State Lake Superior State Lake Superior State Lake Superior State Lake Superior State Lake Superior State U.S. NTDP U.S. NTDP U.S. NTDP U.S. NTDP Guelph Storm (OHL) (2) Guelph Storm (OHL) (1) Guelph Storm (OHL) (1) New York Islanders Assistant Coach New York Islanders Assistant Coach Totals Lake Superior State Guelph Storm (4).583 Coach CCHA tournament title by beating Miami, 3-0, in the finals at Joe Louis Arena. Lake Superior moved on to down Minnesota-Duluth in the West Regional to move on to the finals at Milwaukee, Wis.. There, the Lakers defeated Boston University in the semifinals and them moved on to face, Maine, led by Paul Kariya and Jim Montgomery, in the finals. A third-period rally by the Black Bears gave them a 5-4 win. Lake Superior didn t dwell on the loss for long as the Lakers went overall and finished second in the CCHA with an record. After losing to Michigan in the CCHA championship game, Jackson s team rebounded by winning overtime games versus Northeastern (6-5), Michigan (5-4) and Harvard (3-2) to face Boston University in the title game at St. Paul, Minn. The Terriers weren t much of a match for the Lakers as Lake Superior recorded their second championship in three years with a 9-1 win. Jackson s Lakers followed their second championship season in with a record and won their fourth CCHA tournament title. In the NCAA tournament, Lake Superior defeated Clarkson in the first game of the East Regional and then lost to Boston University in the Regional final. In his final season in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., Jackson saw his Lakers return to the 30-win plateau, as they went overall and won their second regular-season title face with a mark. The Lakers then lost to Michigan in the CCHA title game (just the second CCHA tournament loss in Jackson s six years ) and saw the season come to an end with a loss in the East Regionals to Vermont. During his six years guiding the Lakers, Jackson produced 12 All-Americans (five first team and seven second team) and one Academic All-American. In 1991, he was recognized as the CCHA coach of the year. He is just one of 12 coaches to win multiple NCAA championships. From , he also served as the Director of Athletics at Lake Superior. Several of Jackson s players advanced to play in the NHL. The list includes: Doug Weight (New York Rangers/Edmonton/ St. Louis), Brian Rolston (New Jersey/Colorado/Boston), Keith Aldridge (New York Islanders), Blaine Lacher (Boston Bruins), John Grahame (Boston Bruins/Tampa Bay Lightning), Bates Battaglia (Carolina/Colorado/Washington) HOCKEY 63

4 Head Coach The Guelph Storm went with four shootout losses during Jeff Jackson s two-and-a-half seasons in the Ontario Hockey League. and Jim Dowd (New Jersey/Vancouver/New York Islanders/Minnesota Wild). On June 7, 1996, Jackson was named the national coach and senior director of the newly founded U.S. National Team Development program based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In his first season while putting the program in place, he served as the head coach for the United States Junior National Team that captured the silver medal at the 1997 World Junior Championships, at the time, the best finish ever for the U.S. team. Former Irish captain and current Columbus Blue Jacket, Ben Simon, was a member of that squad. The following year, Jackson served as an assistant coach for Team USA at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. In his four years directing the national program, eight former Notre Dame players came from the developmental program. The list includes: Brett Henning, Michael Chin, Connor Dunlop, Paul Harris, John Wroblewski, Brett Lebda, Neil Komadoski and Rob Globke. All-Time Irish Head Coaches Coach (Years) W L T PCT G.R. Walsh ( ) * Paul Castner ( ) * Tom Lieb ( ) * Benjamin Dubois ( ) * Charles Lefty Smith ( ) Ric Schafer ( ) Dave Poulin ( ) Jeff Jackson (2005- ) *pre-division I hockey era (Notre Dame s Division I program began in 1968) In 2000, Jackson left the U.S. program and took over as coach of the Ontario Hockey League s (OHL) Guelph Storm where he turned a losing franchise around, finishing in second place in his first season with a record. In the season, the Storm went and hosted the Memorial Cup, advancing to the tiebreaker game where they lost to Victoriaville. In two-and-ahalf seasons in Guelph, Jackson had an record. From Guelph, Jackson moved on to the National Hockey League s (NHL) New York Islanders where he served as an assistant on Steve Stirling s staff from In , the Islanders finished third in the NHL s Atlantic Division with a record, good for 91 points. The Islanders lost in the first round of the playoffs to eventual Stanley Cup winner, Tampa, four games to one. In May of 2003, Inside College Hockey, ranked Jackson 12th on its list of the 16 Greatest College Coaches of all-time with only five of the 16 still active in coaching. Born June 22, 1955, Jackson is a member of the USA Hockey Coaches Achievement Program, the American Hockey Coaches Association and the National Hockey League Coaches Association. Jeff Jackson s Record Versus Division I Teams Team W L T.PCT Alaska Anchorage Alaska Fairbanks Boston University Bowling Green Brown Clarkson Cornell Ferris State Harvard Illinois-Chicago Kent State Laurentian Miami Maine Massachusetts-Lowell Michigan Michigan State Michigan Tech Minnesota Minnesota-Duluth Northeastern Northern Michigan Notre Dame Ohio State Princeton St. Lawrence Toronto Vermont Western Michigan Wisconsin York University Totals In Postseason (Totals included career totals) Team W L.PCT Alaska Anchorage Boston University Bowling Green Clarkson Cornell Harvard Illinois-Chicago Maine Miami Michigan Michigan State Minnesota-Duluth Northeastern Ohio State Vermont Minnesota Western Michigan Wisconsin Totals UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME

5 Head Top 10 Division I Coaching Records Winningest Active Coaches by Percentage Coach Yrs W L T Pct. 1. Jeff Jackson Lake Superior, Notre Dame 2. Red Berenson Michigan Scott Owens Colorado College 4. Dick Umile, New Hampshire New Hampshire 5. Jack Parker, Boston U Boston University 6. Don Lucia Alaska Fairbanks, Colorado College, Minnesota 7. Mike Schafer Cornell 8. Doug Ross Ohio University, Kent State, Alabama-Huntsville 9. Rick Gotkin Mercyhurst 10. Rand Pecknold Quinnipiac By Victories Coach, Current School Yrs Wins 1. Jerry York, Boston College Jack Parker, Boston University Rick Comley, Michigan St Red Berenson, Michigan Doug Ross, Ala.-Huntsville Don Lucia, Minnesota Bill Wilkinson, Wayne St George Gwozdecky, Denver Joe Marsh, St. Lawrence Dick Umile, New Hampshire Tim Taylor, Yale Rick Gotkin, Mercyhurst Donald Cahoon, UMass Bruce Marshall, Connecticut Gary Wright, AIC Bob Daniels, Ferris St Bob Gaudet, Dartmouth Don Vaughan, Colgate Rand Pecknold, Quinnipiac John Markell, Ohio St Mike Schafer, Cornell Dan Fridgen, Rensselaer Jeff Jackson, Notre Dame Coach What They ve Said About Jeff Jackson If anyone can get it done here at Notre Dame, it s Jeff Jackson. Scotty Bowman The NHL s winningest coach and nine-time Stanley Cup winner at the Notre Dame s Drop The Puck Dinner on Sept. 6, Coach Jackson demands a lot from his players. He will get the most out of you. He s a very honest guy who will be a good fit at Notre Dame. When I made my decision to go to Notre Dame, I had narrowed my choices to Notre Dame, Harvard and Lake State. The main reason I wanted to go to Lake State was because of Coach Jackson. I think it speaks volumes about his character because he was honest with me and fully supported my decision to go to Notre Dame because it was the best combination of academics and athletics for me. When he picked me for the junior national team, he could ve picked a lot more talented players over me, but he had a vision and a plan. He said, Here s the role I want you to play, do you accept that. We won the silver medal. He took a third or fourth line guy and made me better. He ll make you work real hard, but when you see the success, you enjoy it. Ben Simon former Notre Dame hockey player who played for Jackson on the 1997 U.S. Junior National Team Jeff will be an awesome fit for Notre Dame. He understands the game and is such a student of the game. He s got the total team concept and develops players around the team concept. His teaching ability is what separates him from other coaches. It s a great situation for him and for Notre Dame. Paul Pooley former Providence College head coach who was an assistant with Jackson at Lake Superior from and is now the associate head coach with the Irish. Jeff Jackson is undoubtedly the best coach and more importantly the best person that I have ever worked with. He goes out of his way to get involved with his players in all aspects of their lives. It s not all about winning hockey games. He focuses on the entire picture and works for balance. If things are going well off the ice, then they usually go well on the ice. As a coach he is detail-oriented and very disciplined. He is excellent in preparing for an opponent, but he also makes his opponent prepare for his teams. He is one of the most respected people in the coaching profession on the college, pro and international levels, all the way down to the junior and youth hockey levels. He s a great fit for Notre Dame. Scott Monoghan Director of Operations with USA Hockey National Team Development Program. Jeff Jackson is a great coach with lots of experience. He s won two national championships at Lake Superior State. He s a great recruiter and a well-respected hockey mind. He ll represent Notre Dame well. Ian MaCaw Athletics Director at Baylor (former Athletics Director at Massachusetts and Northeastern and member of the NCAA Hockey Hockey Committee). Coach Jackson knows more about the game of hockey than any other coach that I ve ever played for. His knowledge of the game is second to none. He knows what it takes to win at the collegiate level. He s definitely a great teacher and knows what each player needs to do to get better. Hockey is his life. This is a great step for the program at Notre Dame. Brett Lebda A 2004 Notre Dame graduate who came through the U.S. program with Jeff Jackson as coach HOCKEY 65

6 Associate Head Coach Beginning his first season with the Notre Dame hockey program is Paul Pooley who was named associate head coach by Jeff Jackson on June 3, For Pooley, it marks the second time in his coacing career that he will serve with Jackson as associate head coach. During his first stint at Lake Superior State ( ), Pooley was instrumental in the Lakers success as they advanced to the NCAA finals three times, winning in 1992 and Pooley joins the Notre Dame staff after spending the last 11 seasons as head coach at Providence College in Providence, R.I. During his 11 seasons, Pooley s Friars were a combined , winning the Hockey East title in and appearing in two NCAA tournaments (1996 and 2001). In making the announcement of Pooley s hiring, Jackson said, Paul Pooley brings a certain level of integrity, work ethic and professionalism that I have great respect for. Our relationship in the past became a friendship, but our experience in the past will stay in the past. We re hoping to re-establish a new center of excellence similiar to the one that we had at Lake Superior State together. With the addition of Pooley, the Irish coaching staff, including Jackson, becomes one of the most experienced staffs in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) and all of college hockey as they combine for over 50 years of coaching experience at the junior, collegiate or professional level. In becoming Jackson s associate head coach for the second time, Pooley brings 17 years of coaching experience to Notre Dame. The 2001 Hockey East and New England coach of the year and a two-time finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award as the national coach of the year, Pooley was instrumental in the development of four All-American players during his tenure at Providence - forwards Chad Quenneville and Devin Rask, goaltender Nolan Schaefer and defenseman Stephen Wood - while four others who played for him - Hal Gill (Boston), Joe Hulbig (Edmonton and Boston), Fernando Pisani (Edmonton) and Mike Farrell (Washington and Nashville) - have seen action in the National Hockey League A 1984 Ohio State graduate (Cum Laude in accounting and marketing), Pooley got his start in college coaching at his alma mater, serving as an assistant to Jerry Welsh with the Buckeyes for three seasons ( ) following the end of his professional career. No stranger to the CCHA, Pooley was one of the conference s top players from and was a second-team selection to the confer- ence s all-decade team of the 1980 s. A threetime member of the CCHA s all-academic team, he took Academic All-American honors in A second-team all-ccha selection in 1981, he was also selected as the CCHA s corookie of the year that season. Pooley capped his brilliant Ohio State career in 1984 as he was selected as the CCHA player of the year and Bauer s national player of the year, leading the nation in scoring with 32 goals and 64 assists for 96 points in 41 games. Selected first team all-ccha and first team All- American as a senior, Pooley is Ohio State s all-time leader in goals (114), assists (156) and points (270) and joined the Ohio State Athletic Hall of Fame in A native of Exeter, Ont., Pooley signed with the NHL s Winnipeg Jets following his collegiate career and played two seasons with the Jets top farm team, the Sherbrooke Canadiens of the American Hockey League, playing on a Calder Cup championship team in He moved on to play one season with the Fort Wayne Komets of the International Hockey League where he was co-captain of a Komet team that won the 1987 regular season championship. In his three seasons as a pro, Pooley played in 15 NHL games with the Jets. He retired in 1987 to go into private business with his twin brother, Perry, also an Ohio State hockey All-American. Born August 2, 1960, Pooley and his wife, Kelly, have two children - 11-year old Scott and eight-year old Taylor. Paul Pooley Associate Head Coach First Season Season Ohio State 84 Paul Pooley begins his first season at Notre Dame as associate head coach on Jeff Jackson s staff. He joins the Irish after spending the last 11 seasons as the head coach at Providence College. All-Time Notre Dame Assistant Hockey Coaches Name Seasons Years Tim McNeill Kevin Hoene Ric Schafer Terry Fairholm Len Moher Jeff Perry Tom Carroll Scott Gosselin Jim Johnson Andy Slaggert Present John Micheletto Layne LeBel Paul Pooley, Associate Head Coach Present 66 UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME

7 Assistant Andy Slaggert, a two-time hockey monogram winner for the Irish, begins his 13th season as an assistant coach with the Notre Dame hockey program, providing a valuable link to recent Irish hockey history. Slaggert is one of just three individuals to be involved with the Notre Dame hockey program for 15-plus seasons (see chart below) and holds the unique distinction of having played for the first two coaches of the modern era of Notre Dame Lefty Smith and Ric Schafer while also serving as an assistant for Schafer, Dave Poulin and new head coach Jeff Jackson. Under Jackson, Slaggert will work with the team s penalty-killing unit on a group and individual basis. He also will continue to coordinate the program s highly successful recruiting plan which includes on-and-off campus recruiting and the observation and evalution of prospective student-athletes. In announcing the addition of Slaggert to his new staff on June 3, Jackson said, I m extremely excited to be able to retain Andy Slaggert who I believe has done a tremendous job over the last several years at Notre Dame. The combination of Andy and Paul (Pooley) will give us one of the most recognized coaching staffs in the country. And, in the end, my hope is that we will have one of the most successful staffs in the country. Andy is someone who can lead Paul and I through the process of becoming more familiar with Notre Dame and, in turn, his passion for this University will rub off on both of us. That will give us the combination of experience and the element of pride in what this University represents. During Slaggert s 12 previous seasons as an assistant, he has been involved in the recruiting of 18 players who were selected in the National Hockey League Draft including, five current players Mike Walsh, David Brown, Wes O Neill, Andy Slaggert Assistant Coach 13th Season Notre Dame 89 Andy Slaggert is in his 13th season as an assistant coach at Notre Dame. During August of 2004, he serves as head coach of the U.S. Under-17 Select Team that finished second at the Five Nations Tournament in Halle, Germany. Victor Oreskovich and Kyle Lawson, who signed a letter-of-intent to attend Notre Dame in Nov. of 2004 and has deferred to attend in the fall of The Irish have also had 15 players from the U.S. National Team Development Program matriculate to Notre Dame, with eight playing for the U.S. Junior National Team in the World Junior Championships. Most Combined Notre Dame Hockey Seasons Name Seasons Years Lefty Smith, head coach Ric Schafer player ( 70-74), assistant coach ( 75-80), head coach ( 87-95) Andy Slaggert , 1993-present player ( 86-89), assistant coach ( 93-present) Tom Carroll, assistant coach Dave Poulin , player ( 78-82), head coach ( ) Coach The energetic and hard-working assistant has been highly involved with coaching on the national level since During the summer of 2004, Slaggert reached his highest level, when he was named head coach of the U.S. Under-17 select team that went on to finish second at the Five Nations Tournament in Halle, Germany. The previous year (2003), the veteran assistant got his first taste of coaching with USA Hockey at the international level when he served as an assistant coach on the U.S. Under-18 Select team that captured the gold medal at the Under-18 World Cup held in the Czech Republic. During the summers of , the native of Saginaw, Mich., served as head coach at the United States Select 15 tournament held at St. Cloud State. Since 1997, Slaggert has been involved in coaching Michigan Select teams. During the summer of 2000, he coached the Michigan Select 15 Junior Olympic Festival Team. In 1998, he served as a head coach at the Michigan State Select 16 Festival helping evaluate players who were competing for a chance to play in the national tournament. In June, he served as the head coach for the Michigan Select 16 Team that skated to the bronze medal at the National Select 16 Festival in Ann Arbor, Mich. In the summer of 1997, Slaggert served as an assistant coach for Team Michigan at the United States Select 15 Festival. From 1997 to 2004 he served as a head coach and evaluator at the Michigan State Bantam Camp in Big Rapids, Mich. Slaggert also was the primary moving force behind the Notre Dame hockey program s PowerPlay Run/Walk to benefit the fight against cancer. The first three events held on the Sunday after the first Notre Dame home football game drew increasing numbers to the point where the hockey program now is playing a charity intrasquad scrimmage to raise funds for the fight against cancer. The 36-year-old Slaggert received his bachelor of arts degree from Notre Dame in He then went on to earn his master s degree in physical education from Ohio University in A right wing for the Irish from , Slaggert totaled seven goals and six assists over 55 games during his three-year Notre Dame career. Slaggert s first venture into coaching came in 1989 with the Amerisport International European Hockey Tour and returned to Notre Dame in Slaggert and his wife Tara were married in the summer of The couple resides in South Bend with their sons, Graham (6), Landon (3) and Carter (six months) HOCKEY 67

8 Support Staff One of the top offensive players in the history of college hockey joins the Notre Dame staff this season as a volunteer assistant on Jeff Jackson s coaching staff. Jim Montgomery joins the Irish after 12 seasons in professional hockey that included stints in the National Hockey League with the St. Louis Blues, the Montreal Canadiens, the Philadelphia Flyers, the San Jose Sharks and the Dallas Stars. With the Irish, the 36-year old coach will help scout opponents and work with the team s forwards along with other duties assigned by Jackson during the season. As a collegiate player at the University of Maine from , Montgomery was one of the games most explosive players, scoring 103 goals and 198 assists for 301 career points in 170 games. During his time at Maine, the Black Bears were with two Hockey East championships and an NCAA title in Montgomery captained that team that went on the year and defeated Jackson s Lake Superior team, 5-4, in Milwaukee, Wis., as he scored three goals in the third period to rally Maine to the title He was selected most valuable player of the 1993 Frozen Four and was a two-time All- American. Selected all-hockey East three times in his career, the marketing major was named to the league s all-decade Team for the 1990 s. He ranks fourth in NCAA history in points (301) and assists (198) and is also Eastern College hockey s all-time leading scorer. A finalist for the 1993 Hobey Baker Award, Montgomery was Maine s team MVP twice, won the school s Dale Lick Academic Achievement Award and had his No. 19 retired following his outstanding career. Signed as a free agent by the St. Louis Blues on June 2, 1993, the Montreal, Que., native played in 67 games as a rookie with St. Louis, getting six goals and 14 assists for 20 points. He also assisted on Brett Hull s 400th career goal. He moved on to Montreal in and only played five games with his hometown team before being claimed on waivers by Philadelphia where he played 13 games over two seasons with the Flyers. During the season, as a member of the AHL s Hershey Bears, he led the league in assists (71) on the way to a 105-point season and a selection to the AHL all-star team. After a year in Germany, Montgomery returned to the Flyers and played two more seasons with their AHL team, the Philadelphia Jim Montgomery Volunteer Assistant Coach First Season Maine 93 Phantoms. There, he helped the Phantoms to the 1998 Calder Cup championship, finishing second in playoff scoring with 29 points in 20 games. The following year, he was fourth in league scoring and again was selected to the AHL all-star team. He signed as a free agent with San Jose in , splitting time between the Sharks (28 games) and their farm team in Kentucky. In , the Dallas Stars picked him up and he remained with the organization the next two seasons, playing mostly with the Stars AHL affiliate in Utah. In eight seasons in the AHL, Montgomery played in 518 games and had 183 goals and 360 assists for 543 points. After playing a season ( ) in the Russian Super League, Montgomery closed out his career last season as a player-assistant coach with the Missouri River Otters in the United Hockey League. In 42 games he had 20 goals and 27 assists for 47 points. Dave Gilbert enters his eighth season as equipment manager at Notre Dame but is no stranger to new head coach Jeff Jackson. The hard-working Gilbert was a member of Jackson s NCAA title team as a a walk-on goaltender at Lake Superior State. The Marquette, Mich., native served as a back up to a pair of eventual NHL goaltenders Darrin Madeley and Blaine Lacher during that championship season. Dave Gilbert Equipment Manager Eighth Season Lake Superior State 96 During his final four years as an undergraduate, Gilbert worked for the Lakers hockey program as a student equipment manager. In that capacity, he was associated with the NCAA runner-up squad in , the NCAA championship team of 93-94, and two other teams that reached the NCAA quarterfinals ( and 95-96). One of the premier equipment specialists in college hockey, Gilbert s year-long responsibilities involve overseeing the equipment and travel needs of the Irish hockey program. Gilbert graduated from Lake Superior State in May of 96, with a degree in exercise science, but remained at the school for the next two years as the head equipment manager for the school s 11 varsity sports. During his time with the Lakers hockey program, Gilbert was associated with several individuals who remain active in hockey at other levels. Gilbert served under head equipment manager Paul Boyer at Lake Superior State in 92-93, with Boyer now holding the position of head equipment manager for the Detroit Red Wings. Besides being reunited with Jackson as a member of the Irish hockey staff, Gilbert also rejoins associate head coach Paul Pooley who was also a member of Jackson s staff at Lake Superior from while Gilbert played and worked for the Lakers. This past summer, the popular Gilbert was a member of the equipment staff at USA Hockey s Junior National Team tryout camp, held in Lake Placid, N.Y., in August. Gilbert, and his wife Heather have one son, Dolan (4) and a daughter, Halle (3). They reside in South Bend. 68 UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME

9 Support Staff Kevin Ricks Assistant Athletic Trainer Third Season Western Illinois 99 Kevin Ricks begins his fifth season as an athletic trainer at Notre Dame and his third with the Irish hockey program. In his first two years at Notre Dame, Ricks worked with the women s soccer team, women s rowing, women s swimming and and diving and the men s and women s track programs. A 1999 graduate of Western Illinois University, where he received his degree in athletic training, Ricks spent two years at the University of Mississippi as a graduate assistant while earning his Masters degree in exercise science with an emphasis on biomechanics. At Mississippi, Ricks served as the head athletic trainer for the men s and women s track-and-field teams. He also was the first assistant to the head football athletic trainer. Ricks also served as a student assistant trainer at the St. Louis Rams training camp (in Macomb, Ill.) and Rams preseason football games during the summer of 1998 in addition to serving as a high school football athletic trainer in northern Mississippi in the fall of While at Western Illinois, Ricks worked with the football, soccer, baseball, softball and tennis teams as a student athletic trainer. He also volunteered during the Prairie State Games, an amateur showcase of non-traditional sports held in Edwardsville, Ill. The Peoria, Ill., native spent the summer of 1998 volunteering in Edwardsville as a student athletic trainer at the National Junior College Division II track-and-field championships and the U.S. Open Grand Prix of Track and Field. He completed an internship in 1999, at Chicago s Athletico Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy department. Kevin and his wife, Cheryl, reside in South Bend. Tony Rolinski Strength and Conditioning Coach Third Season Penn State 91 Tony Rolinski begins his fourth season as the assistant director of strength and conditioning at Notre Dame after three years as an assistant strength coach. The season marks his third with the Notre Dame hockey program. He also serves as the strength and conditioning coach for the Irish men s and women s basketball programs. A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., Rolinski joined the Notre Dame staff in 1998 after spending one year ( ) at Duquesne University, where he implemented the strength and conditioning programs for 20 varsity sports. The 35-year old Rolinski is a 1991 graduate of Penn State University with a bachelor s degree in health education and a minor in exercise science. From , while earning his Master s degree in exercise physiology at the University of Pittsburgh, he served as an intern on the Panther football program staff where he assisted with all aspects of the strength and conditioning program. Following his stint at Pittsburgh, Rolinski served as the head strength and conditioning coach at North Hills High School in Pittsburgh ( ). He also has earned certifications from the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (SCCC) and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (CSCSC). Born December 10, 1968, Rolinski and his wife, Julie, have two daughters, Alexis and Jaclyn, and two sons, Jake and Jared. Kevin Anderson Video Coordinator/Hockey Operations Third Season St. Cloud State 03 Kevin Anderson begins his third season at Notre Dame as the program s hockey operations and video coordinator. A native of Anoka, Minn., Anderson graduated from St. Cloud State University in May of 2003 with a bachelor s degree in recreation and sports management. At St. Cloud State, he worked with the Huskies hockey program for two seasons. As a junior, he worked with former coach Craig Dahl s staff as an undergraduate assistant coach. In his senior year, he took over the duties as the team s video coordinator. As video coordinator, he teamed with former St. Cloud State assistant coach Brad Willner and Minnesota Hockey Camps, to create, design, manage and implement a video editing system that allowed the St. Cloud coaching staff and players to focus on the technical and tactical aspects of the game. During the offseason, Anderson works with the Minnesota Hockey Camps in Brainerd, Minn., training and developing young hockey players. Working with Chuck Grillo at the Minnesota Hockey camps, he was inspired to learn about using video as a way to enhance team performance and provide an opportunity for hockey players to use it in their development. In the summer of 2003, Anderson was able to implement video technology at Minnesota Hockey Camps as a tool for teaching and developing the players who attended the camp. Anderson is single and resides in South Bend HOCKEY 69

10 Support Staff Tom Nevala Associate Athletic Director Hockey Administrator Dr. Robert Clemency Team Orthopedist John Murray Joyce Center Ice Rink Manager Sixth Season Notre Dame 90 Tom Nevala is in his first year as associate athletic director after serving the previous five years as assistant athletic director for business in the University of Notre Dame department of athletics. Nevala oversees all financial matters for athletics - with the equipment, student managers, Tim Connor Hockey SID Dave Preston Senior Manager medical insurance and technology areas also reporting to him. He also is the athletics contact for the department's relationship with adidas - and he also will work closely with senior associate athletics director John Heisler to structure the business aspects of Notre Dame's proposed off-site football games. A 1990 Notre Dame graduate, Nevala is the dayto-day administrative contact for the Irish hockey program as represents Notre Dame hockey on the Central Collegiate Hockey Association Council. A member of the University s business managers group, Nevala spent five years as the business manager for athletics, following one year as business manager of the Joyce Center and two years as director of the Varsity Shop and ice rink manager for that facility. During the academic year, Nevala coordinated the effort to form the Notre Dame alumni football team that traveled to Germany in July of 2000 and defeated the Hamburg Blue Devils in the Charity Bowl. He also served as tournament director of the 1997 BIG EAST Men s Golf Championship. Nevala graduated from Notre Dame with a degree in aerospace engineering and returned to the University in the fall of 1990 to attend graduate school and work in the athletics business office. He earned his MBA in interdisciplinary studies in May of Born Jan. 25, 1968, Nevala was an associate football manager at Notre Dame for the 1989 season and is a native of Maynard, Mass. He is married to the former Jen Turgeon, a 1993 St. Mary s graduate and a native of Brunswick, Maine. Rev. Thomas Gaughan Hockey Team Chaplain Adam Sargent Academic Services Matt McCormack Sports Promotions Coordinator Lefty Smith Game Manager Hockey Contact Personnel Kevin Anderson Operations/Video Coordinator (574) Brian Boulac Joyce Center Operations (574) Tim Connor Hockey Sports Information Dir. (574) Home: (574) Dave Gilbert Hockey Equipment Manager (574) Matt McCormack Sports Promotions Coordinator (574) John Murray Ice Rink Manager (574) Tom Nevala Hockey Administrator (574) Dave Preston Hockey Student Manager (574) Kevin Ricks Hockey Athletic Trainer (574) Tony Rolinski Hockey Strength Coach (574) Adam Sargent Academic Services Advisor (574) Lefty Smith Hockey Game Manager (574) Laura Woodward Hockey Ticket Office (574) Tony Yelovich Director of Game Management (574) Laura Woodward Hockey Ticket Manager Tony Yelovich Assistant Athletic Director/Game Management UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME